â â⥠Starter for @collecterie
â â⥠He didnât want to admit that being away from his home was so hard on him, but it was. There was a constant aching in his chest and longing at night when he was alone, not only for his husband but for his daughters too. He missed everyone more then he could ever imagine. Maybe it would have been better if Flannel and Him have spent more time apart so this may not have been so hard, but neither of them would have ever imagined something like this happening. Kirin was terrified of falling into old habits, he knew certain ones were never going to return since he was now married, but he already saw himself eating until he got sick and sleeping until he couldnât sleep anymore.
â â⥠And when he couldnât sleep or eat anymore he just roamed around, trying to keep his mind occupied which wasnât the hardest thing. His attention span could be swayed easily as long as he was in the right situation and if he had a notepad and pen with him he often just tried to focus on sketching out anything that was pretty. That was the plan together, just go around koi and find anything pretty. It was a worthwhile distraction for a bit until he just couldnât focus anymore, a curse that his brain brought him many times, so he decided it was time to head back home.
â â⥠He was housed around the lakeview lofts, it was cozy and reminded him a bit of his home, but only so much. Small homes like this could only compare so much to a grand castle, though he supposed the castle would be lonely if he was the only one there, but even in the small home, being all alone was ⌠well, lonely. So it made sense to try to avoid being alone there as much as possible unless he was sleeping.Â
â â⥠Heels clicked on the ground consistently and steadily as he walked, eyes ever focused on the book in his hands as he looked over the pages of what he had drawn today, not exactly happy with the results but there is no reason to not keep them. He had only decided to look up for a moment, just to make sure he didnât accidentally bump into someone, though maybe it was some sort of fate. His eyes easily locked on to an all to familiar figure, and just as he always looked when in a strange place ⌠he looked hopelessly lost. It was almost comical to think about, but such thought only lasted a second before sadness and happiness welled up inside of him.Â
â â⥠It was only a few weeks, but it felt way to long for him. He rushed over, his steady pace turning into a full-on sprint as he nearly knocked the other man over with a hug, and it was a desperate one too as he buried his face in his neck, shaking a bit as he could feel tears coming out of the corner of his eyes.
   â Oh gods, you are here ! I-I was so worried â He moved from the otherâs neck and stopped hugging him, just to put his hands on his cheeks and inspect him as if he were possibly hurt â I-I ⌠Iâm so glad ⌠I thought I was going to be alone â His inspection didnât last long before he returned once more to his previous actions, though he began to softly stroke flannelâs hair with one of his hands â I donât want to let you go, I donât want you to leave ⌠â
â° á´Ąá´ĘŇ âą âŚ ;;
    Flannel had dealt with his own fair share of fears. Although, you could say he was rather an odd one... Death, loneliness and so on were something that he would think of once and a while during his time as a leader. However, that never scared him. Flannel had always shrugged the idea of those one-off much more easy than most, even believing that he deserved it. In a way after failing his people, it was practically a miracle that he had been able to keep hold of his title as the leader of his pack for so long.
    Of course, everything would change. Meeting a person who was a dragon, was no surprise to him. He had witnessed another person who was a dragon beforehand, so meeting another one did little to shock him --- But, it was most of his title that caught his attention. Flannel knew very little human and the lifestyle that they lived in. That never stopped him through from taking the time out of his day to learn about it, even If he has not fully grasped the idea of what it means to be a royal. All he did understand that it was similar to being a leader and that was all he needed.
    There was no doubt about it that these two did not expect what it was to come, the two grow closer and closer the more time that they spent together. The more difficult it was to be away from him, even the idea of the two being separated turned his stomach. Heck, the idea of somebody ever laying a finger on Kirin... Goodness, nobody wants to think of such a thought like that. Nevertheless, that was in the past and now it is the present. Everything was perfect, he had a mate and was lucky to have cubs too along the way. ( Surely, all of this was no easy task but still the two manage )
    Or that was what he thought...
    Kirin had been absent for some time now, it happened on one fateful day. Flannel woke up with his own mate missing, there was no note left behind and even the idea of tracing down his scent to figure out, where he had gone was no good as it too vanished along with him. --- If It had not been thanks to Nishiki, Theo and Kirinâs brother Qilin. He would have started to believe that he had left him for good. Flannel had never handled the idea of being left behind by somebody easily, it was one of the many reasons why he didn't wish to get close to anybody...Â
    Nonetheless, with Kirin being gone for weeks. Flannel had to handle dealing with the kingdom himself, it was difficult, much more difficult than all the studying that he had done so far. But he managed through it, even surprising a few important ( or from what he had been told ) along the way. If they had thought his people were nothing but stupid beast than he surely had proved them wrong. Still, he had missed Kirin. He had been the one to help him through many things, so, to not have him near him. Even If It was for a short moment, drove him insane in away. Even resulting back to his habits of self-harming himself, though, he tried his best to not rely upon too much of it.Â
    So, to have been suddenly being taken to a place that the had never been before, let along finding his mate here... It would be an understate to say that Flannel was emotional, Flannelâs eyes began to tear up, his large fuzzy ears dripping down. His lips parting apart, though, nothing came out at first. Almost taking in a moment before finally uttering something out.
    â Kirin... I-I didnât... â A Pause, choking back the tears with his eyes closing shut for a moment, inhaling a breath before softly letting out a chuckle. â W-Why am I surprised t-to find ya here---? Iâm... I-Iâm sorry, but yâknow It-It hasnât been easy wh-while you were gone... â He finally admittedly, trembling fingers reaching up to clumsily wipe away the tears that continue to cling to his lashes.Â
    And then his ears perked up, eyes widen before softening soon after. In the depths of his chest, there was the warmth that heâd all but forgotten begins to blossom anew. He turns his eyes up to him, tears still streaming down that he canât seem to quell, and then he wrapped his arms around the otherâs form.
    â Y-You better keep t-that then, I-I will let th-this one slide bu-but if you leave me al-alone. I-I swear Iâm never forgiving ya... â